Next Post

Amsterdam: July 20, 2010… MARVIN Technologies will unveil its production-ready MARVIN system during the IBC Exhibition, Sept. 10-14 in Amsterdam. MARVIN provides a simple and reliable workflow for digital cinematography. In one step, MARVIN automates the creation of backups, LTO tape masters, QuickTime proxies for offline editing and DVD dailies. As a result, MARVIN saves filmmakers, camera owners, and rental houses significant time and expense in comparison with current practices of manually copying and wrangling data.

“MARVIN helps filmmakers become vastly more efficient in the pressure of a real-world production environment,” said Adam Welsh, general manager of MARVIN Technologies. “But more importantly, it removes the nagging concern that data will be lost or corrupted. With MARVIN you can stop worrying and get on with the shoot.”

Camera Support

MARVIN supports the RED One camera, the Silicon Imaging SI-2K, ARRI D21/Alexa, Panasonic P2, as well as high-speed cameras such as the Vision Research Phantom and Weisscam HS-2.

The MARVIN Workflow

Settings for a new project are entered at the start of production. MARVIN executes everything from that point on, thus establishing a simple and transparent protocol for each day of shooting. When removable media from the camera is attached to the system, MARVIN automatically creates verified copies of every shot to its own internal RAID5 storage array. MARVIN then generates multiple verified LTO copies of all of the shots from the day, along with DVD dailies and QuickTime files for offline editing.

The director, cinematographer, DIT, or others on the production team can browse through a project and view thumbnails or video. This is useful for continuity, for example.

After offline editorial, a companion application, MARVIN InPost assembles the shots specified in the Edit Decision List for postproduction work and finishing. MARVIN can also be used in the post facility for the same purpose, and for archival asset management.

The MARVIN Hardware

MARVIN features a robust 4U housing with a padded case for transport and added protection. The system includes 6 or 12TB of RAID5 storage and a core i7 processor. Two built-in LTO tape drives and a DVD burner are included. Connection is via multiple CF card slots, e-Sata, Firewire 400/800 or UB, with custom ports (SxS, Fibrechannel) available on request.

MARVIN is controlled via a simple browser GUI running on a laptop computer connected to the system via Ethernet.

Availability

MARVIN Technologies has already shipped the first few commercial units to customers, and is currently ramping up the manufacturing to meet the growing demand.

“The transition from film to digital acquisition has been a wild ride for many filmmakers,” said Welsh. “With MARVIN we now have the production process under control. This is the way filmmaking should be.”